


Halloween Horror

by donnarafiki



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Established Relationship, Halloween, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Lucius Malfoy Being an Asshole, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Part Demon Draco Malfoy (sort of), Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-31 20:13:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21255962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donnarafiki/pseuds/donnarafiki
Summary: Harry knows Draco has a cruel scar that hurts when he feels troubled. He knows Draco's father disowned him. He knows Draco hates meeting new people. He knows something happened, something changed and killed the self-convidence and extraverted tendancies Draco used to have.But he'd never asked about the details, never connected the dots. Tonight, Draco does that for him.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 21
Kudos: 221





	Halloween Horror

**Author's Note:**

> This is an everyone lives AU in which there has been a Voldemort but he was killed for real at the end of the first war. Be warned for mentions of a pretty cruesome scar and stories of parental abuse from Lucius.

“Come on, Draco.”

“No.”

“You can’t hide from them forever.”

“Try me.”

Harry sighed. “Draco…”

“They hate me,” Draco sniffed, changing from stubborn boyfriend into a genuinely upset lover. Or maybe Harry had misread the situation all along. “I can’t. Not today.” 

Harry climbed onto the bed and lay down behind Draco, gently pulling him into his arms. “What’s today then, hey? I know it’s Halloween, but I don’t think you mean that.”

It took a while before Draco began to talk. Harry thought he might not speak at all at first. 

“We had these parties when I was a kid. All the traditionalists in my father’s books came there. Hallow’s Eve, stories of ancient rites, death, chasing away evil spirits that turned into a muggle hunt. A contrast as stark as possible against what muggles call Halloween. My father and everyone else got drunk on wine and the power their families used to have, and then they got angry about having lost it. A mourning of the good old days.”

Draco fell silent then, but something told Harry his story wasn’t over. “The things they did… I was captivated by it. Terrified and fascinated. I wanted to belong so badly back then. But when I didn’t fit in, my father…. He cast me out. Some ancient warding demons rite, in our seventh year. He knew I was… _ unnatural _ . I didn’t know he knew. Didn’t know he’d grown so bitter. He was my _ dad _.” 

Draco curled up further, hands pressing against his hip and upper leg. He had a curse scar there. It looked horrid and twisted, like something had boiled him from the inside out. Harry had never dared to ask where it came from, he just knew it acted up in bad weather, or when Draco felt low or upset or stressed. Mostly all the time, really. 

“The pain is a reminder of what I did. I can’t face your family knowing that.” Harry hugged his boyfriend closer when his voice threatened to break. He knew that besides being a bully, Draco had helped trying to rebuild Voldemort’s troops, even if the bastard was long dead. 

Looking back, knowing how no one had helped him, or any of the other Slytherins to get out of their post-war isolation, it didn’t surprise Harry. The ‘good’ side wouldn’t have them, wouldn’t even educate them why they were wrong, and the bad side never let anyone go. Especially not when you still had family in their claws available for manipulation and blackmail. Harry knew from Regulus how high the price was for freedom. Even a life wasn’t always enough. 

“Oh babe…” Harry pushed his fingers through Draco’s hair, shocked at what he’d heard. “I’m so sorry, love. But my family doesn’t hate you. They’re a bunch of overprotective nutters, but they don’t hate you. Sirius is my Godfather, remember? He knows what it’s like.”

“But he always fought it.” Draco sniffed again. “I wanted to belong. I believed in what they did.”

“When you were a child. When I was fourteen I believed a million stupid things, and I was surrounded by brilliant people. You’re still a good person if you have to work a little harder to achieve it than others. Maybe that makes you even better, _ because _you work harder for it. But my family will not hate you for believing and doing dumb things as a kid. They believe in second chances, and you never really had a fair first.”

Draco took a shuddering breath. “But it still hurts.”

“Your past?”

“No, having to question every day if you’re good enough yet. If you’ve atoned enough, if you’re a bad person, if you work hard enough. The stress, it _ hurts _. Because what my father did, the scar, it will always hurt as long as I’m not sure I’m welcome. Demons aren’t welcome you see? The pain is supposed to keep them away.” 

Harry froze as something clicked. “Is that why you fainted so much in our last year? Why you seemed pained every time I tried to talk to you? I would have stopped trying if Pansy hadn’t pushed me to keep going. You didn’t stop running from me until…”

“Until you got fed up with me and threw that curse at my head.” Draco chuckled even if Harry was horrified by the memory. “You got angry like my father, then cared for me like my mum. Something clicked. You started feeling like home.”

“That’s so fucked up.”

“Maybe it is. But I felt properly pain free for the first time in over a year so I didn’t care. And then you ran because I was healed and you’re an idiot, and it took three years worth of letters before I convinced you to let me back into your life. But I never told you because I don’t want you to stay because of the pain. That would ruin me feeling welcome around you.” 

“Then why are you telling me now?” Harry felt himself begin to panic. This was rather a lot to take in and now he might be hurting Draco? He didn’t want that, but what if not wanting it made Draco feel unwelcome? But how could he feel welcome in the life of someone who wanted to hurt him? A question that made him panic more because Draco had just said that he felt welcome after Harry had caused him pain. 

“Hey, hey, stay with me, you idiot.” Draco turned around in his arms and cupped his face in his hands. “I’m telling you because I _ know _ I am welcome with you, not because of pain or guilt or anything, but because you want me to meet your family. Because you want me in your life. I can literally feel that in my bones, okay? So don’t be an idiot and stop panicking.” 

“But I hurt you,” Harry searched Draco’s face. For what, he didn’t know. “I cursed you and then I left and you were in pain and I didn’t know. You’re always in so much pain, Draco, but you’re so welcome here, love. Please know that you’re the welcomest person to ever be in my life.”

“Welcomest is not a word.”

“Shut up. I love you.” 

“I know.” Draco scooted closer and guided Harry’s head towards the crook of his neck. “But that doesn’t mean I can meet your family today. I thought I could, but the pain gets worse when I’m insecure and they’ll be with many and especially today… I don’t think I can bear it.”

“Too many bad memories?” 

“And a veil to the demon world that’s at its thinnest. That doesn’t help. The scar doesn’t just respond to how I feel.”

“You’re _ not _ a demon, Draco. You’re not. I love you so much.” 

Draco smiled softly. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

Harry kissed him, from his neck all the way to his nose. He chuckled when it wrinkled. “We can stay home today. You can meet my family later, in small doses. I’ll tell them to behave.”

“Thank you,” Draco let out a relieved sigh and relaxed into the pillows. “I love you too you know?” 

“I know.” Harry kissed his nose again. “I’ll make dinner after I owl my parents, okay? We can eat in front of the telly, I know you’re knackered now.”

Draco smiled, his eyes suddenly swimming in tears. “Thank you,” he whispered. 

“Anything for you.” Harry kissed him again, properly this time. “Anything to make this the best Halloween I can give you.” 

For a moment, Draco hugged him close. “It’s already a million times better than it’s ever been before.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you enjoyed reading that! It's not beta read bc it was a spurr of the moment fic, so i apologise for any mistakes. 
> 
> Please consider leaving kudos or a comment if you liked this fic!


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